Cartridges for firearms, such as rifles and hand guns, generally comprise a metallic casing or shell in which a bullet is received, a firing charge being disposed between the base of the bullet and the bottom of the casing. When the cartridge is fired, the charge explodes to drive the bullet out of the barrel of the weapon.
It has been proposed heretofore to fabricate the cartridge from a casing of a synthetic-resin material in order to reduce the cost of each round and there have even been proposals to make the bullet out of synthetic material.
However, these attempts at lowering the fabrication cost per round have confronted problems which in part result from unsatisfactory techniques in anchoring the bullet in the shell or casing, or in fabricating the round in a safe manner. Particularly the problems of inserting a metal bullet into a casing or shell of synthetic-resin material has caused such systems to be avoided in large measure.
It is also known to increase the safety of munitions manufacture to introduce the charge in a moist state, i.e. wherein the explosive grains are suspended in a vaporizable liquid, hereinafter referred to as a solvent for convenience. Thus, the charge can be introduced into the casing in a moist state, thereby eliminating the problem of handling the charge when it is most dangerous and likely to explode. However, it is not generally possible to insert the bullet while the charge is still moist, i.e. prior to evaporation of the solvent or other stabilizer utilized to avoid explosion.